All Textbook Topics - Light - Properties of virtual light rays - There are two types of light rays, real and virtual

There are two types of light rays, real and virtual

In physics, there are two types of light rays which are used in different scenarios.

  • Real light rays
  • Virtual light rays

You have already used real light rays, which is represented by a solid line (with an arrow), but there are also virtual light rays which are represented by dashed lines with no arrow. Virtual light rays do not really exist.

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Virtual light rays are where the human eye follows a real light ray back, but the light ray has reflected at some point. The human brain can't detect that it has reflected so it thinks the light ray keeps going at the point it reflects. The virtual light ray is not really there, the brain only thinks it it there.

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